Tractor values

I have been looking at different tractors lately and have
noticed the Deere's are usually priced quite a bit higher than
other brands compared by size, condition ect. I also watch the
Mecum auctions on rfd and they are always loaded with jd. Were
there that many less built that makes them more valuable ? Were
they really that much better ? I am not anti jd by any means but
I really don't get it. All machinery has a life expectancy no
matter the color and I can't figure out why a wore out jd is
worth more than a good solid running tractor of a different
color. As a note irt seems like you can go places and buy all
kinds of jd stuff with no other brands represented. I think it
hats all marketing. When non farmers go to a store and want
something with a tractor it's always jd because that's what I
hey must think every farmer owns. This is no rant I am just a
little confused on the equipment values and popularity.

Really??

Yeah ! Are they really that much better ? I don't understand why someone would pay much more for a tractor needing work when they could buy a comparable fully functional tractor forum less ! Around here you can buy a good running Farmall m for less than 2000 that isn't all beat up or you can go buy a John Deere A that's been through the ringer for 2500. Same with the larger tractors such as 3020's and 4020's. Seems just the name brings the money.

I'm sorry. I meant my first response sarcastically. Where have you been? You just realized that now? Been that way since God created John Deere.

Nothing Runs Like a Deere ... except maybe a Deere dealer!!

HAHAHAHA Those of us that don't have green blood don't understand it either. For a lot of farmers it is pride that they can afford the high cost. They certainly perform adequately, but so do blue, orange, red and yellow ones.

Try working a JD A all day and then a Farmall M all day and you'll want to show your JD and work your IH.

Here is my five cents on this. I am a tractor collector. I collect more than just one type. I have a 1951 Farmall M cotton picker and a 1951 John Deere G. To compare them is like taking each one up this one road to my dads house and realize how they run up it. It is interesting to realize I paid double the money for the John Deere G and realize that the FArmall M out preforms it. Like I say maybe it is just me and how I drive them. What is scary is when the Farmall M loves 4 and 5 upper gears going up the hill to the house. I need to say if you are like me and have differt makes of tractor do it some day test them out for your self.

I can't see that John deere's are any better than any other color. In some cases they are worse. last month I worked on a 630 and a Farmall 300. Anyone that thinks two hortizontal cylinders are easier to work on than a four vertical cylinder is crazy.

On the farm between both grandparents and my dad. We had three Farmall M's, one Farmall H, One John deere A, an AC WD45,Mccormick WD9,JD 3020, Farmall 706, Oliver 1855, John Deere 4430, and a Case 970. Grandpa's neighbor had an IH 1486 that I drove for one summer.

I think I can compare all the tractors above fairly. They all had there short comings!

As far as the old ones The M's and the A. They could not keep up with dad's WD45. The 3020 and the 706. Both could use a better 3pt. The 3020 wouldn't lift the four row lister high enough to clear the RR tracks. The 706 3pt wouldn't go low enough to hitch to some of out implements. Dad and grandpa both have always said the Oliver 1855 was a better tractor than the 4430. The 4430 and the Oliver had a better cab than the Case 970. The 1486 the neighbor had. Would turn much shorter than the 4430 and the 1486 had a nicer cab. You just had to get use to the doors opening backwards. The 4430 also blew way too much black smoke when it was cold. None of the other tractors blow as much smoke as the John Deere. The 4430 was the only one that had a plastic cab top!

As far as value. Yes the JD stuff always seems to be higher. It is not made any better. The John Deere guys think anything that says JOHN DEERE has to be better there for worth more money.

My dad was an Echo chain saw dealer back in the 80's. John Deere also sold Echo saws. The exact same saws painted yellow. One day dad was in the John Deere store in the mall ( JD dealer had a small store where he sold lawn garden stuff and toys) The owner was closing out all his chain saws. Dad bought two. Now these were the same exact ECHO saws dad had in stock. The only difference was Echo's were orange and the JD version was yellow and of course had "John Deere" stamped all over it.

Dad put the JD saws on the shelf right next to the Echo's of the same size. Dad priced the Deere saws $20 higher. Guess which saws sold first??? One of dads John Deere guys walked in and bought one of the Deeres on first sight. He just new it was better because it said JOHN DEERE on the side! Dad still laughs at that one!

I have been told if you want to sell a cow pie. Paint it John Deere green and the Deere guys will stand in line to buy two!

Could it be that green paint costs more than red paint?

Its a matter of demand and how much people are willing to pay and Deere seems to top both spots.

We had them both I don't remember it that
way. Given a choice the jd always went to
the senior hand. But dads g was changed to
gasoline. With different pistons.

Just remember this. Some swear by them and some swear at them!

We are good ! I figured that ! Just seems like they have such a huge following ! Thanks Jim .

But why ?

Spend a day either driving or working on a 656 IH then spend the same time on a Deere 3020 and you will know why the Deere brings more. I can split a 4020 almost as fast as someone can remove all the sheet metal from a 656.The newer tractors have less difference than the older ones but it took the competition years to catch up to the 3020 and 4020. Tom

I understand . I was not just talking about red tractors though. There are other brands that are competitive for a lot less money. And the marketing. People who have never seen even sat on a tractor have jd stickers, mud flaps and dress their kids in jd clothes.thats part of what I was getting at. When was the last time you saw a young boy wearing an allis shirt, or I guess I should say agco ?

So they were a more comfortable tractor to run ? Easier to work on ? I have run a bunch of different tractors helping people out over the years and the most uncomfortable was our neighbors Massey 1100. Was just asking cause I may be looking for another 50-60hp tractor for next year.

The 3020 and 4020's had the best brakes and steering of anything in that time period. I heard of field demo's where the dealer would remove the steering wheel and proceed to drive the tractor by turning the steering shaft.The IH 656 was not a bad tractor it just was not as operator friendly. It had a brake lock rather than a park gear,steering not as fast,not near as nice as a seat and the torque in the IH's did not hold up as well as they could have.Go back to the two cylinder Deere tractors and I prefer the red ones but after that it seems the others were always one step behind Deere up into the 1990's.But lots of farms were paid for with red,green,orange,blue and all the others as well. Tom

I do know I drove my Uncles 3020 when it was fairly new and I hated that thing. I liked My A & B way better and the Farmall H was better for some jobs than the JD B and for others it was reversed. And the tractors were within 1 HP of each other.

Deere has done an excellent job of selling their products and establishing in people's minds they're better off buying a Deere,They have the best dealer network overall too so buyers feel like they have some backup if their machine has problems.Local Mahandra dealer stayed in business about 5 years and folded up so now where do the buyers go for support? Local Deere dealers
have been operating for decades changed ownership a few times but always there people definitely take notice of such things.

All tractors have good and bad points, buy a tractor you like to operate and where you can get good parts and service. If you can fix it yourself then no big deal on color. Deere tractors sell for more because of popularity and the company is very good at marketing. You will pay more but should get more when you are ready to sell it. I drive what I like and can fix which works well for me without a big investment.

I agree with Tom. I always felt like I was reaching farther for everything (Hydraulic remote,pto,shifter,throttle) on a 706 or 1066(only ih models I spent an ample amount of time on) than a 4020,4320,4430. I don't really think one is a better tractor than the other. The 1066 even seemed to have a few more guts than the 4430. Around here, the ih's run a touch cheaper, but not by a lot.

If you're looking for that hp range, it's hard to beet a Massey. Never been on an Oliver, but they have a cult following too. A 165-175 255-275 can be bought reasonable and have very few problems. Those little Perkins just keep going. The multi-power transmission gets a bad rap, but I've never had a problem yet. Only does hay/utility work though. If that worries you, they did make them without the multi-power.

I think it's a combination of things including: good marketing; generous trade-in allowances; strong dealer networks with good parts support and service; and avoiding a buy-out or bankruptcy. Caterpillar had a similar higher prices over its domestic competitors. Used Harley-Davidson motorcycles still command much higher prices than similar used imported motorcycles.

Around 1980 Harley-Davidson had to lobby for an additional (30 percent?) tariff on large imported motorcycles because they were loosing sales to lower priced higher quality imports. After improved product quality and strong marketing eventually helped H-D turn their business around, the tariff was eventually lifted too.

A lot of the buying john deere was that it was easier to get financing back then then other brands. Had a neighbor with oliver's and I said to him one day that he finally got smart and got john deere's. His response was that he had two barns burn and money was very tight. John deere gave him money to start again and oliver wouldn't. Farmall was very hard to get money unless you had very good credit and not much debt. That's why john deere is where there at and the others are gone.